How to be a demon (and hide it)
by Rizzy2
Summary: How do you hide being the son of Satan? How do you deal with a body that is unknown to you? How can a demon possibly become an exorcist without having his true identity discovered? Do tails have a life of their own? Are there classes you have to avoid? How far can you go without others getting suspicious? /Rin learning what not to do as a half-demon.
1. Fangs

**Fangs**

Keeping low profile turned out to be harder than he thought it would be. Not only did his demonic side keep him from doing things that he used to do with ease, (like talking without accidentally biting his tongue) it also gave him inhuman strength. How could he possibly keep that a secret? Rin had always been strong, he was able to carry more than an average boy his age, and in some cases, even more than a full-grown man, but this natural strength had doubled after his demonic powers had been returned to him. He was not only stronger, his agility and his senses had improved as well. What had not improved was his concentration. His patience had grown weaker and his temper remained the same. Therefore, when he found out that his brother wanted him to read books meant for younger kids, he decided not to. He was not stupid, his level of intelligence was just fine, but he learned by doing and not by reading.

Like how he had tried to use his fangs on different objects to see how sharp they were. He had not been able to sleep much the first nights, so instead of looking at the ceiling until morning arrived, Rin decided to test his new features. His first victim had been a water bottle. He bit into the bottom of it and created a tiny hole, liquid soon pouring out in a stream. He made a couple more just for the heck of it. Another bottle fell victim when he tried to boil the water inside, only for it to somehow combust in a flare of blue flames. He had no idea as to how that even happened, water usually extinguished fire. Were blue satanic flames an exception? They quickly died out anyway, so no harm done and no reason to panic.

Now was the time to move on to something more challenging. The next victim of his experiments: a basketball. He found this thing earlier that night as he roamed the building him and Yokio now lived in. It was fully inflated and bouncy, and he would have left the human habitat to play around with it, had he not been too anxious to do so. What would happen if someone saw him do something inhuman? Surely, no one would be outside at 3AM, but was it worth the risk?

No, he did not know his own strengths or limits, it would be better to stay inside like a prisoner until he knew himself better. That did not mean that he would not attend classes, but he would have to be careful. When his mind finally settled down, he let his fangs penetrate the orange thing. It slowly deflated, leaving him with a flat, no longer bouncy ball.

This made his tail wiggle left and right in excitement. It did not even hurt, so there had to be more solid things that he could leave a mark in.

There were still at least an hour until sunrise and the furniture in the room he had been practicing in now had bite marks in them, objects were left broken or punctured, and a few items somehow managed to flare up by accident. It looked like some kind of animal had caused havoc in there.

Therefore, when his younger brother asked him whether he had been studying, he had been quick to blame the material given to him and say he had been reading manga. This way he avoided telling him what he really had been doing. He was lucky that the building was this big or Yukio might have discovered it. Still, it had not been a lie; he needed to try things out and not just bury himself in books. That was how Rin somehow talked his brother into taking him with him to observe an exorcism, and how he learned not to touch gates without permission. Also, biting into metals would cause serious tooth aches.

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 **Reviews are appreciated, I do not bite.**


	2. Symbols

**Symbols**

Of all the things he had to get used to, Rin Okumura had never thought that simple symbols and holy sentences would become an obstacle on his path to kill Satan. Even though he was not a full-fleshed demon child send to Assiah to destroy humanity, he would still feel the effects of a cross, a bible verse or a ritual. Some would affect him while other ones would do nothing worth mentioning.

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." He mourned, but he did not feel comforted. The holy words would comfort those who had sinned and regretted doing so, those who feel grief from wrongdoings, yet he did not feel any blessings send his way. Instead, he felt judged, those words were not for him, and he knew that. If there really were a god, then why would he bless a demon?

"And the devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever." Yet another verse. This one gave him goose bumps, a cold chill traveling down his spine and ended at the tip of his tail. He found himself taking on his jacket to stay warm, all color draining from his face. Was he simply imagining things? Maybe he took the words personally, that had to be a good reason for him to feel this weird. He was not sure, all he knew was that this feeling was new, and he did not like it.

Yet he stayed put and listened, ignoring the side effects of each verse as they practiced one part after the other. He found his tongue to be burning when he had to read something aloud and lips starting to swell, as if he was having a battle with himself. So far, he was losing the fight.

"Therefore submit to god. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." The students raised a cross and repeated the sentence. Okay, he was not simply imagining things, his heart started to beat faster and it felt like small spiders had somehow managed to get under his skin and started crawling around, biting as they did so. He found himself scratching his arms and not daring to lift the cross just yet. This rewarded him with a glare from the teacher. Was he keeping an eye on him? Why?

Once most of those cursed verses were finally over, they moved on to symbols. Here he found himself going through all kinds of emotions and physical states. He went from freezing to suddenly sweating and feeling hungry. He then suddenly had the urge to tear his skin off and cry for no apparent reason.

However, he still stayed put. He would become an exorcist, even if that meant that he had to torture himself to do so. It was not as everything they did or said hurt him, it was manageable, and he needed to know his limits. What was the point of being there if he could not attend class? Rin had made it just fine without anyone getting suspicious, and when Shiemi asked him whether he was feeling okay, he had lied and said that he was just a little tired. It was not new to him to dose off in the middle of a lesson, so nothing strange there. However, to tell the truth, he was exhausted, and everything ached. She did not seem to believe him, yet she went back to write notes.

The teacher told the class to study the metal cross lying on their desk, the same one he had asked them to lift earlier. Finally feeling brave, Rin had reached for it, only to cry out and redraw his hand. His hand burned upon touching it and left a mark in his palm. He inwardly cursed himself for being stupid enough to try something like that in public. The class went quiet and turned their eyes to him. He hid his hand and gave them an awkward smile in return, blaming that the cross was cold to the touch and that he was feeling a bit under the weather, which would explain why he kept taking his jacket on and off.

He flinched when Shiemi suddenly placed a hand on his forehead, only to withdraw it as fast as Rin had upon touching the cross. "You are burning!" she exclaimed, and for a second he thought she meant that quite literally. "You are having a fever." She stated and he shrugged. He was not feeling his best, but that had nothing to do with an actual illness so it should not be a problem.

How wrong he had been to ignore it. After refusing to leave class, determined to stay put and continue as if nothing was wrong, he started to tremble, went through a short Epileptic-like seizure and fell unconscious upon hearing Bon recite another sacred verse. He sure as hell had gained everyone's attention by now, though Bon brushed it off as if it was nothing. "Oi, he fell asleep, so what? That whole act of his was probably just bullshit trying to scare us. That kid ain't normal."

The class went quiet once more. Only after Yukio entered to collect his fainted older brother and pretended to take him to the nurse, did the class start up again from where they left.

He ended up staying in bed for the rest of the day, a burning rash covering his neck, mouth and hands after being in contact with certain religious objects. This had been a lesson learned: If sacred verses and symbols make you feel like you are about to collapse, then find a reason to leave class for a couple of minutes instead of being a stubborn ass. He sure hoped those side effects would only be temporary, or he might have a serious problem finishing cram school.


	3. A passion for cooking

**Since I'm busy with exams, I haven't had much time to sit down and write long chapters. Still, I wrote this little thing for a challenge this week and thought that you guys might like it.**

Radiant Celestial Aura **: You're right, it is like he's teething and I'm sure they itch.**

crazydutchy: **Yeah I did write Yukio's name wrong, yet I didn't notice it till it was too late. Thanks for pointing that out!**

 **I do not own Ao no exorcist**

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Rin was not particularly talented. He never found an interest in art, the whole act of patience as you draw a line that somehow is supposed to connect to another line, and then add details to whatever you drew, that was not his alley. He was not good at playing instruments, when his music teacher at school told him to sit down with a guitar and play a few chords, his patience ran thin and he ended up breaking the damn thing. They sent him home from school that day with a bill. He was not a good dancer, and his singing was terrible, sounding like a cat slowly dying. He was not good at school either, at least not the sitting still and listening part. He did not understand math, English classes made him fall asleep, and science was as complicated as the math classes. The teachers were all jerks, and as much as he liked to run around, he hated P.E. Whose idea was it to always play dodge ball? Surely, they could find something better to do than to throw balls at each other for an hour. In the end, Rin would always get a timeout for being too violent.

Cooking class was the only class that he had enjoyed before his father took him out of school. There he could be creative in a way that did not keep him from moving around, and the food that he made would make others delighted and satisfied. The teacher adored him and always gave him kudos for every dish, even those he was less proud of, like the first time he made tempura udon and used too much spice. His adoptive father Shiro Fujimoto would eat whatever Rin brought home with him, both the good dishes and the bad dishes, and he would be proud of every single one of them.

Getting praise made Rin eager to try new recipes and experiment with all sorts of meat, vegetables, spices, noodles, sauces, to see what goes well together and what does not. The feeling of cutting into eatable things made his blood boil, a burning passion only growing for every meal well prepared and presented, drool running down his chin when steam arose from the pans and pots. When he was cooking, he could be himself and forget about the world around him. He was not a demon here, he was just a normal boy doing something that he loves to do. All troubles would melt away like butter on a frying pan, and the fear of losing himself to a greater good would stale for a short while, as he put his heart and soul into the masterpieces he made. He could make anything taste good, and that was his talent. He may not be good at music or math, but he could make one hell of a meal. Cooking was where he showed remarkable enthusiasm and devotion, and no one could take that away from him.

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 **Leave a review, I love reading them.**


	4. Holy water

**I am finally done with exams! This means more time with friends and more time to write!**

 **Thank you to those of you who reviews, it keeps the spirit high and gives motivation, so please do remember to leave one.**

 **Akuma-Sama2002 : I might do that in future chapters, we'll see.**

 **LiTtLeVoIcEs** **: as a matter of fact, I was indeed planing to write one about holy water, did you read my mind?**

 **But I do feel the need to put a warning for this chapter: as cute as other chapters have been, this one will be rather graphic and maybe a bit hard to read if you are faint hearted.**

 **With all that being said, happy reading!**

 **I do not own Ao No Exorcist.**

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 **"How do you make holy water? Burn the hell out of it!"**

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Rin knew that he could not avoid it forever. One way or another he would get into contact with the sacred liquid, and it was going to hurt, a lot. He had hoped that it would not happen in front of his classmates. If it did, then that would be enough to reveal that he was the spawn of a demon, and it would cause fear and hatred towards him.

He had been lucky so far. He was running late on the day when they had a class about it, and that one time where someone spilled a whole gallon in the hallway, he just about stopped himself from stepping into the wet death trap. What would have happened if he stepped in it back then? The thought alone sent a shiver down his spine.

Bon was getting suspicious of his behavior; Rin could feel him watch over him with wary eyes ever since they had physical education class a week or so ago. Rin jumped in front of the reaper to save Bon's life. The Reaper did not attack him, and Rin did not have any injuries afterwards. That alone was enough of a reason to notice that the Okumura twin was different. He had noticed it himself as well; he ate in a different way now that he had fangs, his hearing had improved, and when he flared up, he saw the world in nothing but shades of blue. Then there was the fact that he could understand demons. The reaper stopped when he told it to. He was not sure why, but it was a possibility that it knew that Rin was the son of its master. What would happen if someone saw him try to have a proper conversation with a demon? They would figure him out eventually.

He just hoped that day would not be today.

They were having a drill, one that included low-level demons and holy water. That was all they had to do, spray holy water on the demons that now ran loose in the cram school. It was rather simple, however, instead of doing what he was supposed to do, Rin ended up running around, jumping back and forth in an attempt to avoid the liquid as well as the demons, all while trying not to gain attention. The old fart had warned him about it, and so had his brother, even Samael had advised him to stay away from it. If he was in danger, then why had no one told him to stay home from class this morning? Did they like to see him suffer a potential panic attack, or worse, burned off flesh? If that happened, then he would not only suffer, he would most likely be discovered.

He was carrying canisters of it, ready to throw, or at least pretend to do so as he ducked an attack from one of the larger demons. It was staring at him, and despite the situation, Rin still avoided throwing the water. He jumped over obstacles in an attempt to escape, even went as far as to do a short wall run. He could not draw his sword, he could not throw any verses at it as he risked hurting himself in the process, and he could obviously not throw the damn water grenades. Just what could he do then? Nothing came to mind other than dodging the attacks. Even for low-level demons, they were quite strong for someone who could not risk fighting back. He could send a few kicks and punches, but that was about it. What a great exorcist he was, but what did he expect?

Before he got a chance to get away from the beasts, one lashed out, sending Rin straight into one of the walls in the hall, leaving a small crack as he pushed himself off. It was not that bad, all it gave him was a slight headache and a sore back. No, this was nothing, he had been through worse. He found himself getting back up, only to realize that something was starting to soak his pants. At first he thought nothing of it, but by the time he realized that one of the canisters had sprung a leak, it was too late. The water made contact with the skin, and within seconds, it started to burn his flesh, making the young exorcist cry out in pain. This was what holy water felt like, complete and utter agony, the sensation of having your flesh burned off to then tear up the muscles, making it nearly impossible to even attempt to do anything but lie down and cry out in distress. He felt pathetic as he lay there on the ground, fumbling with his belt as he tried to unbuckle and take off his pants to make it stop, yet his hands were shaking too much and his vision was getting blurry. The fact that the floor was wet as well only made things worse, making him wail as smoke rose from his melting, squirming body. He was being tortured, and he could do nothing but to watch as his hands started to bleed, completely and utterly aghast with horror. He had only been laying there for a few seconds when shots were fired, boring through the demon who disappeared in a cloud of dark smoke.

Just as Rin thought that he would not make it out alive, a loud "Nii-san!" rang through the hall, followed by someone pulling him away from the puddle of water he was currently dying in. Within seconds he had been stripped naked, clothes thrown to all sides as his savior did all he could to get his older brother dry and out of danger. Once that was done, Yukio took off his jacket and covered Rin in it to keep the burned, bleeding flesh hidden from the others, as well as letting the fabric soak up the last drops of water still covering him, all while he still lay on the ground, crying. Within the short amount of time it took from getting into contact with holy water and till he was dry again, the liquid had done an immense amount of damage, making it impossible for the demon teen to move much. It was like having a severe sunburn, no, like dipping yourself in boiling oil. Yukio was trying his best to keep his brother conscious, but even the slightest contact with his skin made him cry out even louder. He wanted to throw off the jacket wrapped around him, but the other students were now running towards them. He was heaving his chest, desperate for oxygen, which only made him panic more. Before he could even begin to comprehend what was happening, everything went black and sounds started to faint away. He was unconscious.

Shiemi started to panic and wanted to take off the coat to look for fatal injuries. Knowing that Rin's injuries were demon-related, Yukio could not allow her to do that but instead used excuses like "he's naked underneath" and "it's okay" to dissuade her. Yukio insisted he would take him to the nurse's office and everyone else should continue their lesson. Only this time he meant what he said. This was too serious to treat at their dorm, and he had to fight off the panic that only seemed to grow as he picked up his older brother and started running towards the infirmary. It did not matter that Rin was a fast healer, every second counted when it had to do with holy water. Had he only known that they were having a drill that morning, yet he had been just as surprised as the rest of them, and before he could warn his twin, it had been too late.

Ryuji's suspicions only seemed to grow after that, and it would keep him awake at night. Just who is that kid? What was so special about him? Why was he getting special treatment? Why did he jump in front of the reaper? How did he even manage to pull off a jump like that? All these questions and yet none answered, he could not seem to put the pieces together. He was pissed. Why could he not figure him out? He had to find the answers to it all; he had to gain knowledge of his sharp-toothed teammate.


	5. Haunted part 1

**Finally here with another chapter. Many thanks to Akuma-Sama2002, Rabbit-chan, Daggerandcloak1513, nur-chan, SakuraKoi, NarutoAdmirer21, Vi-Violence and guest for reviewing the last chapter!**

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It was early afternoon, the sun was bright and there were barely any clouds in the sky. It was one of those days where all you wanted was to lay down in the grass right under a tree and take a long, pleasant nap.

Unfortunately, a field trip had been set on that very day, and only a few weeks after the holy water incident. Rin had healed within a day, yet he could still feel the pain mentally. He had been lucky to survive, had it been a greater amount of water then who knows what would have happened. That alone made him feel ill and achy. Yet that seemed like nothing compared to what he went through the week after.

He and the rest of them had become exwires after the training mission with the ghouls, yet that did not change the fact that Neuhaus wanted Rin dead. He had tried to kill him on top of the old male dormitory, and he may have succeeded had Rin's healing abilities not been inhuman. Though holy water hit him, it did not have the same effect as it did the first time around. It seemed that the more he went through, the stronger his resilience became. That or he was simply lucky. Even after being stabbed, the instrument going all the way through his abdomen, he did not die, he did not even fall to the ground, he stayed on his feet. It hurt, it had been pure agony, one different from the suffering he endured a week earlier, but still inexplicably painful. Yet he started to heal back up the moment Neuhaus pulled it out of his stomach.

He was truly a demon, there was no doubt about it, and yet at night, when the moon shone through the windows in their dorm, he found himself denying it. He was not a demon, how could he be? If anything that was only a part of him, the other was as human as it could possibly be. Why could no one see that? Why did the demonic side of him have to rule out the fact that he was earth-born? Would the same thing happen, if his teammates found out? Would he be an outcast, or would they try to kill him as well?

Despite feeling crestfallen, Rin still joined the trip, knowing that he needed the experience to become an exorcist. He could not give up after two almost fatal accidents.

It was a long bus drive, Shima and Shiemi had both fallen asleep, and while Rin was tempted to close his eyes as well, he found himself unable to do so. He was feeling a sudden paranoia, as if someone was glaring at him. At first, he thought that he was imagining things. No one knew about his true identity, so why would anyone glare at him? Suddenly feeling insecure, Rin secretly looked around, moving his head as little as possible to avoid giving himself away. Upon looking to his right, he got eye contact with Bon, who quickly looked away. How long had Bon been staring at him? Why was he starring at him? He was sure that they had become mutuals by now, so why? Maybe he had some crumbs around his mouth. Feeling self-conscious, he rubbed at his mouth with his sleeve.

Upon getting to their destination, Rin was the first one to leave the crammed bus. They soon found themselves standing in front of a tall, rather normal looking building. Yukio took a step forward, adjusted his glasses, and then turned around to face the group.

"Now listen up, this is important. The moment you enter this building, you will not be able to get back out through the door you entered. You will have to find the other exit, which in this case will be the entrance as you enter through the back door. Do not try to find your way out through logic. You may enter through the first floor, but the moment you are inside, you will find yourselves on fourth floor. From there, you have to find your way down. This building is said to be haunted by demons. Some of those reported include ghosts, some being fetishes of both low and high levels. As you all know, fetishes are able to possess objects. Other than ghosts, some have seen low level Goblins, most being in the basement. However, I would advise you not to enter the basement level; from there it will be harder to find your way out. Your main goal is to find your way out, which is a challenge in itself. Many have gone missing since they entered, so be careful and avoid rooms that seem suspicious. You will exorcist as many ghosts as possible, but remember, it is not a priority."

As he finished his speech, he let the group walk past and towards the stairs, handing out a few things that might be of use. He did not fail to notice their nervous expressions, and he could not blame them. This was not notably safe, if anything it was risky, but Yukio had faith in them. At least most of them. As his older brother was about to walk past him, he grab his arm and yanked him back.

"Rin, be careful in there. Do not pull your sword unless you are alone, and if you end up lost with no one else by your side, then do not get too close to the walls. The building itself might try to keep you from escaping if it knows who or what you are. Try not to go solo, stay within sight of others."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it. Teamwork. Though I gotta say, I think Suguro is acting strange. I don't think he trusts me at all. No one does. How am I supposed to help if I have to stay near them?"

"You will have to figure that out yourself." With that, he let go of his brother, watching as him and the others entered the haunted building. Here was to hoping that they would all find a way back out before midnight, or he might have to enter as well.

The door closed and locked itself once the students was inside, making them flinch from the sound. They were on their own now.

Sure enough, they were not on the first floor. Looking through one of the windows proved that.

"So, where are we going?" Shima was the one to break the silence as they walked down a dark hall, the only source of light being a single fluorescent light hanging above one of the many doors. No one had an answer to his question.

"I don't know, but we should stay together. If we split up, we may not find each other again." Rin stated which rewarded him with a few glares.

"I can't believe you just said that. Ain't you the one always running off?" Bon replied in a sour tone. "Actually, you never tell us what you're up to. How is that teamwork?"

Rin wanted to answer, but found himself at a loss for words. What could he possibly say that would not sound distrustful or disputable?

"Know what? Whatever. Just don't run away this time." Bon sighed and reached for a doorknob. Upon opening the door and looking inside, he found himself in the exact same hall, but a few meters behind the others instead of ahead. He hurried to pull himself back, then closed the door and turned to look at them. "Uhm, not that door."

"Then what about this one?" Rin ran over to a brown old door and opened it, only to find an almost empty room, except for an old, dirty bed. "Not this one either."

Just as he was about to close the door, someone, or something, pulled him inside. Before he knew it, the door closed, and the last thing he heard was Shiemi crying out his name. When he reopened the door, he was in another hall, and no one was in sight. Great, he was already lost.

He entered the hall with a feeling of dread, hands shaking as he reached for his sword upon hearing a whisper not far from where he stood. His brother would kill him once he found out about this, unless Bon killed him first.

That was when the lights turned off, leaving him in complete darkness. Good thing he could see a bit in the dark, or he might have had to take out the flashlight Yukio handed him. So far, he did not need it. In the end, it was easier to keep low profile if he kept himself in the darkness rather than lighting up the abandoned hall. Why were they even there? These kinds of scenarios, were they not proper exorcists responsibility? Not that he was scared or anything. It was cool and all, but he had no idea how to get out of there, no clue at all. What if the others managed to escape but he did not? Was he going to die there? No, if it was that dangerous, then Yukio would not have allowed them to enter. Still…

The sound of something roaming around in a nearby room pulled him out of his thoughts. Maybe he was not as lost as he first thought. Thinking that it might be the others hiding behind the door, Rin opened it, only to find it empty. Before he got a chance to close it, something rolled into his foot. It was a ball, a small, blue, soft ball. Thinking nothing of it, Rin reached for it, only to watch it roll off and down the hall in a slow pace. Could this be a fetish? On the other hand, he might simply be going mad. Whatever the case might have been, the half demon followed it.

Just as he thought he had caught up to it, the ball started bouncing and the tempo began to speed up. The exwire now had to walk much faster to keep up with it. Just as he was at an arm's reach from it, it took off from the ground, now bouncing from one wall to the other, making it even harder to catch it. There was no longer any doubt, this thing was a fetish, and it was trying to get away. Rin winced when the ball demon knocked down a painting, the sound of it clashing to the ground sending a shiver down his spine. Why did he have to be alone? As much as he hated to admit it, he hated being alone in spooky places. As exciting as it could be, and despite his adventurous spirit, being surrounded by darkness and possessed object gave him the creeps, and not in a good way.

Once again, he reached for his sword, but before he could draw it, he thought better of it. He had to do this without using Satan's powers. If he always relied on them to get him out of tricky situations, then he might as well give up on everything. But then again, no one was around to witness it, and he had no other way to exorcist the ghost other than using his flames. If there was a way, then he had no idea what that way might be.

Before he got a chance to choose, the ball disappeared through a door, which closed and locked itself right after. It was by then that he realized that he was not in the hall anymore. He was in a room, one that looked like a small cafeteria, or a large dining room. Rin felt a presence, one that he could not quite identify, so when he felt someone standing behind him and a hand touching his shoulder, he found himself unable to move.

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 **Hope you liked it and will leave a review.**


	6. Haunted part 2

**Thank you: Guest; SakuraKoi; AlessandraDC; RinOkumura101; Vi-Violence; Guest; Blackthorn Ashe; NarutoAdmirer21; KnightOwl247 and DearlyFictitious for the amazing reviews!**

 **I'm finally here with part two of Haunted, and after this one, we will move on to something new.**

 **I do not own Ao No Exorcist.**

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Frozen to the spot, Rin feared what might be standing behind him. One of the others perhaps, yet he doubted it. It was still as dark as a coal tar, so none of them would be able to see him, let alone find his shoulder with such ease. Whoever was behind him would be able to see him, or at least feel his presence. Which could only mean…

He did not get a chance to turn around to see for himself, as something pulled at his tail, making him frantically fly forward. He could feel his chest aching from the shock, completely dumbfounded as he turned around to face nothing.

"Who's there?" the dark haired teen yelled out into the abyss, every hair on his body standing up as he felt hands stroking his arms and legs, yet he was unable to see anything. Why were they invisible? More importantly, how could he make it stop? He tried to move further back, stopping when he bumped into the wall.

"Show yourself dammit! Don't be a freaking coward! Why did you bring me here?" A creak made him turn his head, watching as a door slowly opened a few meters to his left. He tried to reach it, tried to get away from the spirit, yet the stroking hands suddenly grabbed onto him, forcing him to stand in an unpleasant, half-running position before pulling him against the wall. It started with his legs and arms. Then something tangled around him, like two arms hugging him by the waist. Lastly, an invisible hand wrapped around his throat.

Unable to move and at risk of choking to death, Rin felt a warmth grow, one he was becoming familiar with; he was flaming up. It would start as a warmth in his chest, then it would find its way down his arms and legs, and finally his head, making him feel like a living fire, burning up, yet it did not hurt even the slightest, and his skin stayed intact.

The hand around his throat tightened, making him unable to breathe as they started to pull him through the wall. A sudden blow of wind in his ear set him off into a blaze of blue flames. The assumed hands let go of him, sending him face first to the cold hard ground. Rin was quick to get back to his feet, heart threatening to skip a beat or two as he ran towards the newly opened door, whispering voices telling him not to run away. They wanted him to go to Gehenna where he belonged.

Upon reaching the door, it closed shut, leaving him to the fate of slamming head first into it. That was it, he had enough; this one was going down. The young half-demon drew his katana, and pointed it at nothing. The weapon had been stuck at the first pull, but he still managed. Rin could not fight nothing; he needed a clue as to where the ghost was.

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he let his ears do the work. This spirit was not quiet; it was rather noisy, at least to his ears. He could hear it move towards him, thanks to the whispers getting louder. It moved left, and then it moved to his right, keeping a pattern, which it did not seem to break. He held the handle tighter, palms sweaty and hands trembling. It was close, very close. The young exorcist in training had just pulled back the sword and was about to strike when the door reopened. He could feel a second presence, and before he got the chance, the spirit in front of him disappeared. Knowing that he could not risk them seeing him like this, he quickly put the katana back in its holster just in time for a flashlight to turn on. After spending a few seconds on controlling his breathing, he turned his eyes towards the newly entered person, only to jump back in surprise upon being face to face with Bon.

"Oi! Don't do that! You crazy rooster!"

"What, is that the thanks I get for saving your ass?! I saw blue lights coming from underneath the door, thought someone might be in trouble." He looked around for clues, yet all he found was flipped chairs and tables. "Looks like you got rid of it."

"Well yeah, of course I did! Easy peasy!" Rin bragged, keeping from telling Bon the truth. That moment was interrupted by Bon's flashlight dying, both of them now in complete darkness once more. They both shivered.

"…We gotta get out of here, the spirits don't like intruders." The half demon stated before grabbing Bon by the arm. "I know where the door to the room is, so uhm, I'll guide you I guess."

"…Uhm, sure? Lead the way."

Once they managed to leave the room, the flashlight came back to life, and the two started walking down the hall.

"Any idea where to go?" Bon questioned upon seeing Rin avoiding one door after the other. "Or are ya just guessing?"

"I'm following my instincts, and that usually works."

"And if it doesn't?"

"Then…" he turned around dramatically, grab Bon's flashlight and let the light shine up on his face. "Then we'll never get out. We'll be stuck here eating nothing but spiders and cobwebs."

Bon snarled and pulled it out of Rin's hand. "Stop fooling around you moron! This is serious! We have to get out of this dammed place! No way in hell am I gonna die in here!"

Rin shrugged "Relax dude, we'll get out, you'll see." Truth be told, he wanted to get out as soon as possible. The building was draining him, all the energy he had when he entered was wearing off, leaving him lightheaded and tense. The whispers from earlier still echoed in his ears, telling him to turn around or to enter certain doors. Knowing that the spirits knew who he was, he took those as warnings rather than advise. He knew he could not tell Bon that he was hearing voices in his head, so instead he covered up by calling it intuition.

He finally stopped at a door that looked exactly like the rest of them. He turned to look at Bon, who glared back. "So what? Are we gonna enter this one? Or do you want me to hold ya hand?"

"Heck no!" Rin snapped back and pulled the door open. Inside a staircase appeared. Nodding to each other, they headed down, bracing themselves for what they might face at the bottom. To their surprise, the lights were on. Convinced that they were alone, both of them let their guard down.

"So where to no-AGH!" The rooster squealed when something jumped onto his back without a warning, and he almost threw it off when he realized who it was.

"Bwahaha! You scream like a little girl!"

"Shima! Why did you do that? I could have killed you!"

"Relax! It was just a joke, and you fell for it!" Shima jumped off and joined Rin in making ghost sounds at the now embarrassed Suguro.

"You two need to grow up! Oi Shima, where are the others?"

The pink haired teen rubbed his hair nervously, feeling the atmosphere thickening. "Uhm, about that… I might have sorta, maybe lost them… But hey! I found you guys! That's gotta count for something, right?"

No one answered, and the group of three continued walking. They were getting closer to ground level, which meant they were closer to freedom. What about the others? Were they getting close as well? They might be out already and annoyed at the three of them for taking so long…

Rin was about to break the silence when something flew right past him and smashed a light-bulb a few centimeters from his head. Shocked tremendously, he flew back and into a hall table. It all created quite a ruckus, and the back of Rin's head started to bleed. Bon, being as serious as always, ordered him to stay down until he stopped swaying.

Taking an order for once, the son of Satan stayed put as Shima, while complaining, but pressure on the wound. Suguro asked him how many fingers he was holding up, much to his annoyance.

"Guys, I'm fine! I just hit my head on the edge of the table, nothing I'll die from. We have to get going!"

"He's right, we can't stay here. Someone just threw a… ball at us?" Shima questioned upon feeling a soft object colliding with the back of his shoe. Perplexed, the pink haired boy reached for it with his free hand and squeezed it. "Heh, seems harmless to me."

Before Rin had a chance to warn them, the floorboards underneath them disappeared. They had been sitting on a trapdoor, one that was no more, and the boys began to fall.

The ground had been much closer than they anticipated, though Rin had seen it coming, so while Bon and Shima landed butts first, Rin landed perfectly on his feet like a graceful cat.

"Oi! You two gotta be more careful! I thought you were exwires!" He could not help but tease as they groaned and rubbed their sore behinds. He placed a hand on the wound, satisfied to find that it already stopped bleeding. He knew they worried over nothing.

They were somewhere different, somewhere unlike the rest of the building. The walls were white and dirty, and the ground did not creak beneath his feet. It seemed to be solid rock or bricks perhaps. Maybe even concrete. That and the awful smell of rotting paper mixed with a distinct smell of drainage water, as well as the faint fluorescent, white light coming from tubes on the walls. Could it be…

"Guys… I think we're in the basement."

"Say what? No! How do we get out? We can't be down here; basements are the perfect place for bugs to breed!" Shima cried out and hurried to his feet. "Out. Now."

"Don't think it'll be that easy." Bon stated upon standing as well. "We have to figure out what part of the basement we're in, and how to get out. I doubt it's as easy to find the right doors down here."

"Yukio warned us about this part, something about the exit being almost impossible to find. That and Goblins. Maybe we need something else to get out, like a key or a code. A key code?" Rin was about to touch the wall to try to find a button of some sort, but at the memory of what happened last time, he quickly stumbled back. He was not about to make the same mistake twice.

A light began to flicker and make strange sounds, which immediately caught their attention. This was not a power failure or objects smashing into light-bulbs, but a medium sized bug trying to fly into the light tube. The sound came from the stubborn bug, soon to be accompanied by another bug, slightly smaller than the first.

The sound of something, or many things crawling above them made them look upwards. Hundreds of bugs mixed with a few small Goblins came crawling through a hole in the ceiling, and when a beetle fell and landed on Shima's forehead, the boy cried out in panic and quickly brushed it off.

Deciding that it was time to make a run for it, the three exwires headed off into unknown territory, the flickering lights behind them working as a warning, a sign to keep on running as if their lives depended on it. Bon was yelling at Rin, telling him to pull the damn sword and kill off the bugs, to which he replied that there were too many. He could not use his flames with Suguro and Shima there with him, so the only logical thing to do was to run.

Once the flood of bugs had surpassed, they found themselves under the same trapdoor that they fell through a moment ago. Were they going in circles? Or perhaps…

"Suguro, give me a leg up, I'm gonna try and climb this." Rin boosted of confidence, believing that he had cracked the code. "If we get back to where we came from, then we can continue from there. If we knot our ropes together, then I can throw it down once I get to the top."

Though the idea seemed flawed, it was worth a try. They knotted the three ropes together and handed it to Rin. Bon then gave him a boost, the ceiling not being that far from the ground. To his luck, the walls were made of brick, and they were possible to climb. Surely, this did not make him seem like a freak who could climb walls.

It took a while, but after hitting his toe for the third time, he finally found his way to the surface. Now all he needed was to tie the rope onto something that could hold their weight. That suspiciously placed brick post near the staircase should do just fine. He hurried to tie a good, solid double knot, and then threw it down the hole in the floor.

Then he waited.

"Rin?" the boy almost fell into the trap a second time upon hearing his name. Turning around, he came face to face with "Shiemi! Are you okay? Did something happen?"

"No I'm fine, but I got lost trying to find you. Are you alone?"

"Nope, just waiting for Bon and Shima to climb the rope."

She nodded and looked into the hole as well. Faint groans could be heard, a sign that they were on their way.

"Did they fall down there? Are they hurt?"

"No they're fine, I fell in too but managed to climb back up. We ended up in the basement."

Soon enough a yellow Mohawk came into view, followed by pink hair and gasps for breath. How did he survive this long?

They continued onwards, three becoming four, and once they climbed down a second staircase, hope began to rise. They were not that far from freedom. Yet Rin was meeting his limits. Drained off all energy, and he had gained a killer headache after hitting it earlier. Dragging his feet, he did his best to keep up with the rest of the group, yet seemed to lag behind. It was not until he fell over his own legs that they stopped and turned their eyes towards him. Why were they looking at him like that? Were they suspicious? Did his tail accidentally show itself? Out of all the ways this could happen, it had to be the most uncool one. Tripping over your own feet, how stupid was he?

"Hey, you okay?" Bon stood right in front of him with a worried look before giving him a hand. "You did hit your head earlier, maybe you gained a concussion?"

"I doubt it-oi! Put me down!" Rin cried out as Bon gave him a piggyback ride that he had not asked for. It fell on dead ears. As humiliating as it was, he had to accept defeat.

He could still hear the whispers that no one else seemed to hear, and as much as he wanted to tell the others about it, he knew he could not do so. It was something he had to keep to himself for the sake of keeping his identity hidden, which he was getting tired of doing. It was hard enough to stay out of trouble when he was a normal human being, he did not need the game of life to be harder.

It was night by the time they finally found their way out, Konekomaru and Izumo both sitting on the stone stairs by the entrance. They had not been waiting for long, therefore there was no mocking or yelling. Not that anyone had the energy to pull it off in the first place. The fresh air and smell of wet grass gave Rin newly found energy, and Bon finally let him down.

Not a single soul stayed awake on the bus ride back to True Cross Academy.

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 **Hope you liked it and will leave a review. There are more to come.**


	7. Fever flames

**I'm so sorry that I haven't updated! I was at a con, then I got sick, and then I had to figure out a manuscript for an act me and friends are making. On top of that, today is my last day of vacation, so I'm back to school tomorrow. But before school starts as well as slower updates, here is a long awaited one.**

 **Thank you: _DearlyFictitious; LiTtLeVoIcEs; Blackthorn Ashe; Vi-Violence; Daggerandcloak1513_ and _Yee_ for reviewing the last chapter! **

**I do not own Ao No exorcist/ Blue exorcist.**

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Out of all the ways a day could start, it had to start with snot running from an itchy nose, a throat that felt like sandpaper and a high fever that made his skin feel like pricking needles. Rin never got sick, it was not a thing that happened that often, and yet here he was, stuck in bed with nothing to do and no one to talk to. Yukio thought that he caught the flu that was circling around True Cross Academy, and therefore ordered his brother to stay home and rest until he got better. Such bullshit, he was fine! A stupid fever would not hold him back. If he could not go to cram school, then he would be productive at the dorm! Maybe he could clean up their room, or do the laundry, anything that would prove to his younger brother that a fever could not keep a half demon out of commission.

It had been a good plan, a way to surprise a stressed out Yukio while proving that he could take care of himself, but like everything else in Rin's life, it failed miserably.

He managed to drag himself out of his warm, comfortable bed, and with slow, lazy movements as well as occasional sore groans, he started to collect dirty clothes that were scattered around their room. He had to take small breaks to go and blow his nose in an attempt to avoid sneezing his brains out. Once he had collected a good pile of colored clothes that was mostly his, he headed out into the hall and towards the laundry room. Despite a killer migraine that felt like it was about to split open his head, as well as a feeling of fainting, his plan was going great. He put the fabric in the washing machine and was about to close the lid when he felt a sneeze coming. Having no tissues, the boy could not help it and gave out a loud, wet sneeze that echoed throughout the small, almost empty room. He had not prepared himself for what followed. The jerking movement had triggered his flames, and since his focus had been on the laundry, it was now set alight.

Thinking fast, Rin turned on the machine hoping that water would take out the inferno he accidentally created, but all it did was turning the soon to be ashes around and around in a painful loop. He could feel his palms getting sweaty and his stomach hurting from the mere thought of his brother finding out about this. He knew he would, something was missing after all. They would now be in a lack of clothes.

To avoid a second sneeze that was threatening to come, a barefoot Rin hurried to hold his nose and ran towards his room to get a tissue. If he could avoid sneezing, then he just might avoid burning down the dormitory.

He got his hands on one just in time and blew his stuffy nose. Why did everything have to be so damn complicated? He could not even be ill without some stupid complications. To top it off, that race from the laundry room to his dorm had given him a dizzy spell, so now he had to stay in bed until the room stopped spinning or risk throwing up his breakfast. It could be worse; he could have burned down the ceiling or the wooden floorboards. That would have been catastrophic.

Still, how was he going to break the news to his brother? 'Hey little bro, I ruined half of your wardrobe with my flames after going against your orders of staying in bed.' It did not have a nice ring to it. Maybe he should listen for once and rest? Surely, that would not do any harm.

Deciding to obey for once, Rin reached for one of his brother's manga and started to read once the dizziness had seized. It was about a teen couple fighting zombies in Kyoto, a city he had never been to before. The boy was wielding an axe, while the girl was using a shotgun. They were complete strangers that somehow ended up being stuck in the same warehouse. He was about half way done reading when his nose suddenly started to itch again. He reached out for a tissue, only to find the box empty. Crap.

Unable to hold it back, he let out a sneeze and the manga burst into blue flames. Shit.

He tried to take it out with his blanket, only for the fabric to burst into flames as well. Holy shit.

Rin could now add a manga and a blanket to the list of casualties. This was the exact reason as to why he had to learn to control his flames. Had it happened in class then he would be as good as dead. Then again, death was just around the corner in the form of a four-eyed sibling.

'Here lies a boy who was killed for burning his brother's possessions.' written in big, fat letters on his tombstone. Accident or not, his life was about to end, and if he was not killed by family, then the illness would go on and end him instead.

That was the one and only time the half-demon prayed to a god that he knew did not exist.

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 **Thank you for reading. If you liked it, please leave a review and I will do my uttermost to update in between school and practice days!**


	8. Punishment

**I am finally back! I am so sorry for the long wait, school, and hobbies and everything has been in the way of writing. But I am here now with a new chapter. If you like it, then please leave a review. Criticism is also allowed, as long as it is constructive.**

 **I do not own Ao No Exorcist/Blue Exorcist.**

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How the heck did he get here? One moment he was having a good time eating ice cream, the next he's forced to hold a Bariyon, again, while having to pee. How damn cruel could his brother be? Yukio couldn't still be mad about the broken glasses, he had a whole drawer full of new pairs after all! What else could he be mad about?

Rin did run off by himself during the esquire exam, leaving the others behind to fight off the other part of the Naberius. He also revealed his powers in front of Neuhaus, who later tried to kill him. But that was not his fault! He had been tricked into it!

Maybe it was something simple, like how he used his head to calm down the cat sídhe Kuro? But why would that go as a punishment? Maybe Yukio found out about his experiments and got mad at him for not telling? Or maybe he finally decided to punish him for burning half of their clothes. But again, that had not been his fault, he had trouble controlling his flames already, so even if he had not been sick, it had still been an accident.

… Was he still mad at him for not buying him water? Had it been that big of a deal? Water did sound like heaven right now. Oh, he did drink some of that silver vine sake that was meant for Kuro, and he did get a bit weird after that, but as far as he knew, he had not been that hard to deal with.

Now that he thought about it, Yukio had plenty of reasons to be mad at him, but nothing seemed to be extreme enough to punish him like this. The rock was as heavy as it was during the exam and it was only getting worse by the minute. He was looking forward to pushing it off. But he still had another half an hour. Hopefully, he would not be dead by then.

This was torture! He could no longer feel his legs, and he had been sitting on his tail this whole time! Would this be the end of him? Would he die buried under a rock demon? What a shameful death. He would die a virgin, and on an empty stomach, and with a full bladder, and thirsty. At least he would not have two loudmouths yelling beside him when he passed away.

Would he go to heaven? Could demons go to heaven? Or would he end up in Gehenna? If so, maybe he could start a heavy metal band… Or his biological father would force him to do his dirty work. Would there be Sukiyaki in Gehenna?

No, he was not going to die like this! No way in hell! He would defeat his father in Assiah, not in Gehenna, and then he would become the new paladin! He just had to survive another twenty minutes and he would be free!

Those twenty minutes went by slowly, and when there were about five minutes left, Yukio entered their room. He walked over and placed himself right in front of Rin, who looked up with a strained expression.

"Do you know why you're sitting here?"

That question, the one he had feared would be asked. He had used most of the time trying to figure that out himself, but nothing seemed to make sense.

"Because… I did something I shouldn't have?"

"Yes, but what? What did you do that you shouldn't have done?"

"I… Broke your glasses?"

Yukio shook his head and readjusted the ones he was wearing.

"I drank Silver vine sake?"

Another head shake.

"I ran off on my own during the esquire exam? Forgot to buy you water? Burned your clothes and your manga? Almost died? Twice?"

The younger brother sighed at his brother's attempts. "You really don't know, do you?"

Rin did not know, but he wanted to. What could possibly be so bad that he had to be punished?

"You pulled down my pants during class because of a dare."

…Oh! Right! How could he forget! He had lost a bet to Shima, and for that, he had to pull off his brother's pants. At that time, he had not seen that as a loss, but now that he was sitting here with a heavy stone on his numb legs, he finally realized how stupid that bet had been.

"I uhm, I'm sorry about that, and I'm sorry for your taste in underwear."

If glares could kill, Rin would have been a dead man just then and there. But at least he got to remove the rock now. Yukio placed a talisman on it, and sure enough, the weight neutralized. He let out a sigh of relief and somehow managed to get on his feet.

"No, but really, cat boxers? Who in their right mind would wear those? I thought you were a professional, if your enemies saw those, they would laugh their asses off!"

He regretted those words as soon as they left his mouth, and he spent the next hour hidden in the bathroom to avoid certain death.


	9. Nightmares

**An update before I get busy again.**

 **Blackthorn Ashe; NarutoAdmirer21; DearlyFictitious; Vi-Violence; pll539563; Dat Boi, thank you for your reviews!**

 **pll539563: yes, you are right about it jumping a bit ahead from the chapter beforehand, and the chapters are indeed not the longest, but due to a lack of time, I do not have the time to make them too long, not without them losing quality. If, or rather, when I have the time, I will make future chapters a bit longer. As of the time skip, that was for the sake of the idea I had. But that does not at all mean that there won't be stories to tell before his classmates learn about his demonic side.**

 **I do not own Ao No Exorcist/Blue Exorcist.**

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 **F.E.A.R: Face everything and recover.**

 **\- Old AA saying.**

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He was prone to nightmares. It had been a thing even before he learned about the other, suppressed part of himself. Looking back at them, they all seemed to have a pattern. He would either be chased by a shadowy figure or fall to his death. Sometimes it would be both, or the shadow would go as far as to push him off the edge. It would be a long fall, either a fall from a tall building, or a cliff, and the impact would jolt him awake. There would be times where he fell out of bed and landed stomach first on the floor. He even managed to give himself a nosebleed once.

But the nightmares truly began when he turned thirteen. It was no longer one shadowy figure chasing him, but a whole group, hands reaching out to him, telling him not to run away from them. When he told his father about them, he would tell him to confront the shadowy figures and come out victorious.

The advice had proven to be useful, and the dream would no longer occur as often as it once did.

But then he turned fifteen, and the shadows would come back to haunt him. They would appear before him, tall and threatening, some having tails and others having red, glaring eyes that made his blood run stale. They would no longer just chase him, they would wrap their arms around him and drag him through the ground, a single hand above the ground being the last thing he saw before waking up in a cold sweat, unable to make a single sound.

This time around, he would keep it to himself. He was not a child anymore, and he had to prove that he could deal with them by himself. He simply had to confront them again, like he did when he was younger.

But that proved to be difficult. His attempts to challenge the darkness made him go numb, and strange, unknown words would pop into his head, in a language he did not understand. It was hard for him to wake up, even when he knew it was a dream. The frequency of the nightmares grew, and before he knew it, he would have the same dream once or twice a week. He was getting used to it by now, and it did not seem to bother him as much, that is, until that dreadful day.

Rin woke up from falling off his bed, a thing he had not experienced for over a year. The loud bump managed to wake up his younger brother, who sat up in surprise before rubbing his eyes. He had asked him whether he was hurt, to which Rin simply brushed off some dust and gave an 'okay' hand sign and a weak smile, blaming his clumsy nature and bad luck for the fall. But he was not fine. He was far from okay, yet hid it well. He felt uncomfortably hot from the inside out, his fingers feeling like needles and his head spinning in a way that made him feel like he was on a boat. A burning boat. He was burning, he felt like someone who had been tied to a wooden stake, above a bonfire, like a witch.

The nightmare proved to be quite literal once Satan took over his father's body and pushed Rin into the Gehenna Gate, forcing him to draw the sword.

Ever since then, the dreams would develop further. He would wake up in the middle of the night, paralyzed in fear and covered in sweat, unable to move a muscle and with a feeling of someone sitting on his chest, a phenomenon he later recognized as sleep paralysis.

The dreams had changed ever so slightly. He was now being judged by the shadows, he would run through both familiar and unfamiliar territory, butt naked, and on fire. There was nothing to hide behind, and nowhere to run to. Familiar faces would occasionally appear, but they would not help him. Friends and family would look at him in disgust and push him away, some going as far as to threaten him if he came any closer.

It seemed hopeless. He had trouble staying awake in class due to the lack of sleep and came off as lazy and unmotivated. He had to find a way to conquer the nightmares like father Fujimoto had told him years ago.

And that was what he used to make them disappear. He remembered the old man's voice, his advice, and his comforting words. He thought back to the times he had been hugged or carried around or praised for his food. He thought about all the times that Shiro reassured him that he was not a demon, that he was a boy worthy of a good life, and one with a bright future ahead of him. That is if he worked hard for it.

The thought of his father's death would be replaced with a warm smile and bright eyes as Shiro ruffled Rin's hair with a teasing laugh. He would treasure that memory and relive it as he lay in bed, waiting for sleep to take over. He had to face his fears, and even if Shiro could no longer keep him safe in the land of the living, Assiah, he could guard him in the land of dreams.

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 **I do not know when the next chapter will arrive. Thank you for reading, please leave a review if you are able to.**


	10. Messed up

**I know, such a long wait and then the chapter ends up being short. I'm sorry guys! Hope you still enjoy it! And if you do, please leave a review so I know that you did.**

 **Thank you: Blackthorn Ashe; pll539563; NarutoAdmirer21; and Dat Boi! You guys are amazing for leaving reviews! I promise you, I will make longer ones in the future.**

 **I do not own Blue Exorcist/Ao No Exorcist.**

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He was a mess. He had bed hair, the upper part of his white shirt was unbuttoned, his tie hung rather loose, and his school uniform had an unidentified stain on the front left side. That was him on a good day. His part of the room was never truly organized, and he tended to fall asleep without brushing his teeth or even washing his face. He would often forget about school work, which then meant that he did not hand anything over the next day, or that he would have to spend the night making them. Whenever Yukio sent him to the market, he tended to buy something he did not need, and forget the things he went for in the first place.

But out of all the messy things about him, of all the imperfections he had, his tendency to be late for, pretty much anything, was what put him in serious and sometimes dangerous (and messy) situations.

Yukio had not been there in the morning. He had left early, leaving Rin to his own demise. He had managed to turn off his alarm in the morning and continued sleeping. By the time he woke up, it was 11:06, and it only went downhill from there.

When he realized what time it was, he got up in a panic. His feet were still bundled up in the blanket which made him fall face first onto the wooden floor. He put his shirt on the wrong way, stuffed his tail into his pants (he could fix that later) and skipped breakfast to at least try and make it before the clock hit 12. He was already three hours late.

Yukio would kill him, but that had turned into a weekly thing. He was pretty much a ghoul by now.

By the time he left the dorm, he realized that he had forgotten his bag... With a groan of distress, he ran back inside, up the many stairs, grabbed his backpack and ran back out. Time wasted on yet another stupid mistake!

He hurried down the road, stomach growling and head hurting from the stress he was in. As if things could not get any worse, it began to rain. Not just drizzling, it poured. Of course, he had not looked up the weather forecast, he never really did that. Afraid that his books would get wet, he hurried for cover under a cafe umbrella.

He wanted to go inside and buy something, but he forgot his wallet back in the dorm... mistake number 6.

Once the rain slowed down, which took a while, Rin left the cover and ran towards school. He jumped over obstacles that got in his way and avoided bumping into people, but one very slippery road made him slip and fall, the back of his head hitting the edge of the pavement. Ouch, that one had hurt more than he thought it would, and that came from someone who had been impaled before. He moved a hand to the back of his head with a pained moan, and a sticky warmth met his palm.

He was bleeding, and he was bleeding badly. He tried standing up, but dizziness forced him back down. The last thing he saw before his world turned into an abyss of darkness, was an older woman standing above him, asking him if he was okay.

When he woke up again, he had been pulled to the side and leaned against a wall, ten or more people circling him. When they found out that he had awakened, they started asking questions like "Are you in pain?" "Are you feeling sick?" "Should we call an ambulance?" "How many fingers am I holding up?" His answer to them all was "I'm fine, it's just a scratch!" followed by questioning what time it was. Turned out he had been out cold for half an hour!

It was now 12:45. He was four and a half hours late! It was too late to go to normal school, he now had to focus on getting to the cram school.

But it was easier said than done. The hit had made him feel so groggy that he could barely walk straight, and he was soaked from head to toe. On top of that, the rain kept the wound from drying, so he was still bleeding, and he was so damn hungry! He just wanted to give up and go back home... Maybe he could call his brother and pretend to be ill?

To be honest, he did feel ill, he felt crappy and his head hurt like hell. If only it would stop raining so the wound would dry up and heal! But no, he was an idiot, and this was the world reminding him of that.

The rest of the way should only have taken him ten minutes, but by the time he got to the front of True Cross Academy, it was 13:40. He had walked the wrong way in confusion, walked up random stairs and ended up in a pup. Not thinking straight, he had accepted a shot of what might have been Sake. He was not even old enough to drink, but the bartender had not asked him for ID. Perhaps he looked so crappy that he had gotten it out of empathy. Still, was that not illegal? Once he realized where he was and what he was drinking, the poor boy had hurried out, now even dizzier and wobblier than ever. The world was spinning, his pride was hurt, and he almost tumbled over. At least the rain had stopped.

He got to the cram school by 13:45. Walking down the hall towards the classroom took further ten minutes as he had to lean against the wall to not fall to the floor.

When he finally got there and opened the door, everyone's eyes were turned towards him in a mix of annoyance, worry, and confusion. In the end, Rin only managed a quick greeting and two steps inside before falling forward, face first onto the floor for the third time that day.

In the end, despite making it to school, Rin was sent to the infirmary due to fainting. He turned out to have gained a concussion, was slightly drunk and lacking nutrition from not eating all day. To top it all off, he had gained a slight fever from being cold and wet for too long.

Indeed, he was a wreck, and in the end, it had not been worth it. He had made more mistakes in one day than he normally would for a whole week.


	11. Overheating

**Merry Christmas and happy new years to you all! I'm here with an update before going on hiatus. But don't worry! It won't be that long, a month or two, that's hopefully all.**

 **Thank you for the reviews! I love reading them, it warms my heart and helps me stay determined.**

 **I do not own Ao No Exorcist/Blue Exorcist.**

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He was stressed beyond belief. Not only did True Cross Academy give him a ton of assignments and pages to read, Cram school also handed out their fair share of homework. He was supposed to write two pages about the digestive system (the fact that he had been eating nothing but chips all day made his own system hate his guts), read up on energy structures, and solve two pages worth of equations.

For Cram school, he had to study up on certain kinds of Japanese folklore and mythology, and Yukio had handed out an assignment for his class in Anti-Demon Pharmacology. To hell with it all. Why did teachers always hand out a bunch of work at the same time anyway? Rin would much rather take a day off and enjoy a frosty ice cream instead.

It was hot, scorching hot, so hot that you could crack an egg on the road, and within minutes it would turn into a fried egg. Wait a little longer and it might start burning. He was not even exaggerating. It was unbearable! It was one of the warmest days of the year, and yet he had agreed to go shopping on his way back from school. He remembered to buy water this time, not wanting his brother to have a tantrum as he did the last time. Besides, water was his best friend right now.

So here he was, stressed and sweaty and miserable.

He would not be this uncomfortable had he been able to take off his shirt, or at least soak it, but doing so would reveal his god-forsaken tail, the one currently wrapped around his overheated torso. Life was cruel. And to add to the hell he was currently in, his backpack rubbed up against his back, adding further heat as well as weight. No matter how much he wanted to take it off, no matter how much sweat was forming, he had to keep from stripping.

Instead, he went for the second-best thing he could do in his current situation: drink the newly bought water. He clung to the bottle of liquid, his sweaty hands making it as difficult as holding a bar of soap, but he was determined to have it on him. He had already emptied half a bottle by pouring it into his dark, itchy hair, soaking his face for a good couple of minutes before the sun evaporated the water. He had learned that word in biology class.

The poor soul dragged his cramping feet with an open facial expression, a mix that made him look like a walking zombie. Maybe he was? Maybe he died on his way back from the shop, and this endless trial was him walking around in limbo, the gods discussing whether he should go to heaven or hell.

God, was he losing his mind? Having a heat stroke? No, then he would not be sweating, that much he had learned from Yukio. Heat exhaustion? Possible. But he was not that far from the dorm now, he just had to keep on walking for a few more minutes.

He had underestimated the distance. He could practically hear his brother yell at him for not taking a break to sit the shadows for a few minutes. But he had been stubborn. The boy thought he could make it all the way, no problem, yet he here was, bent over a trashcan, throwing up all the water he had gulped down, as well as the bag of chips he had for lunch. What a waste, even though it had been cheap, it did not deserve such a fate.

And now he was dehydrated as well, how fantastic. Where was that damn rain from last week? Why could it not be raining now that he needed it the most? Why did he have so many questions and no one to ask?

Except for that familiar face in the distance, calling out his name. It was Bon, why did it have to be him? He did not find any comfort in having those he knew see him in this pathetic state.

Ryuji got to him before he could even attempt to move away from the trashcan, much to the half demon's annoyance. Sure, the rooster just wanted to help, and had it been different circumstances, then perhaps Rin would have allowed him to throw that bottle of water at him, but when you were hiding a tail underneath a white shirt, then it was a big fat nope. So, when the taller boy started unscrewing the lid while mumbling things like "idiot" and "don't make yourself sick", Rin hurriedly backed away, swaying lightly in the process.

"N-no! I'm fine!" even his attempt to reassure his classmate was pathetic, and so was his attempt to get away as he tripped, luckily landing on a nearby bench. "I'll just sit here and cool off, no biggie."

"Liar, you're not fine, just accept it and-!" Rin had somehow, despite his dizziness, managed to avoid the water thrown at him, and made another attempt to escape the crazy blond rooster. Why was the guy so determined to help anyway? They hated each other, why would anyone try and help someone they did not like? Okay, maybe they did not exactly hate each other anymore, but they were not friends. Right?

"Agh, stop following me, I told you I was fine!" Rin cried out as he continued walking towards his dorm, Suguro following right behind like a bodyguard. At least he gave up on the whole water thing. Still, he had chosen to follow, just in case of an emergency.

"Stop lying already! Just accept that you're an idiot and need help. I could call your brother and tell him to get you. And why haven't you taken off your shirt? There's barely anyone around to see you."

"Oh, so you want me to strip now? Weirdo." At least he still knew how to tease, even if it was for the sake of hiding his furry appendage. It seemed to have an effect as the taller boy went quiet, for now. With that, Rin stopped walking to take a careful sip of his water bottle, praying for it to stay down this time.

They were getting closer; the dorm was almost in sight when Rin's shaky legs finally gave out, making him fall to his knees. He let out an annoyed sigh once he realized that he could not get back on his feet, despite numerous tries. How embarrassing. He was a demon, he had a constant raised temperature, he had Satan's flames, how could he overheat?

Right, he was a mixed breed, and they constantly clashed with each other. One part of him wanted to stay in Assiah, yet a tiny voice inside his head, one that got louder whenever he pulled out his sword, wanted him to be in Gehenna. While other teens went through puberty, he went through a complete transformation.

Before his disoriented mind could even register what was going on around him, Bon picked him up piggyback style. The world spun for a few seconds, and a comment about him being a lightweight was the last thing Rin remembered before slumbering against him. This moment would stay between the two of them and Yukio. Always Yukio.

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 **Liked it? If so, leave a review! Have some ideas for future chapters? Then you can leave a review about that as well! I'm also in the process of writing another Blue Exorcist fanfiction, one that will be rather dark, so if that's something you'll like, then put me on your alert list. That is all for now, see you next year!**


	12. A greasy situation

**So, after months of stress and hard work, I finally got a few days to just, sit down and relax. The chapter is short, and I'm sorry about that, and there may not be many, if any, chapters left for this fanfic. But fear not! I have plans for future ones, so stay tuned!**

 **I do not own Ao No Exorcist/Blue Exorcist.**

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Rin was getting used to his demonic features. He rarely bit his lips anymore, and he had gotten used to being stronger than the standard teens his age. Even the fact that he healed much faster than regular humans no longer bothered him that much. And yet, there was one feature that still bothered him: his tail. It was hard to hide and had a life of its own, as well as a tendency to get in the way. In the first couple of weeks, the black, furry bastard would wrap itself around his legs and trip him, and when he went to the bathroom, it would often end up in the toilet, leaving it soaked and disgusting.

That didn't happen much anymore, thankfully, but that didn't change the fact that it was still a pain in the ass to keep clean. Sure, the tail was black, so it was rarely obvious when it was filthy, but Rin could feel every single, however tiny, piece of dirt that managed to get stuck in it. If he didn't shower in the evening before bed, then he would spend half an hour grooming the fluffy end of his tail to at least get some of the dirt off. If he didn't do that, then he would wake up with an itchy tail, and he would end up scratching it throughout the day. Having it wrapped around his torso made it look like he scratched his chest, and for some, it looked like he was either very nervous or having a hives outbreak. Bon even joked about it by asking him if he had fleas. To avoid that, he made sure to either wash it or groom it.

But one thing Rin had not been prepared for was motor oil. He had managed to fall into a puddle of oil, butt first, soaking it completely. He had tried washing it with dish soap, shampoo, even som Cornstarch powder that he read about on the internet (he had googled it as a last attempt to get the oil out of his fur) but nothing worked. Sure, a good portion of it had been washed out, but some was still stuck, like glue or gum. His tail no longer looked well and healthy, but instead dry and damaged. He found scissors and cut off the parts that were far from saving, leaving large, almost bare spots. It almost looked like the tail of a mouse.

How was he supposed to save it now? He had been scrubbing and washing it for over two hours now, blood from open wounds now starting to dry up and stick to the last bits of hair left on the sad excuse of a demon tail. Scrubbing it had been utterly painful, and a part of him wanted to give up, but decided that one last, careful wash wouldn't do any harm. Rin carefully swung it up to the sink and turned the water onto lukewarm, whimpering when the water splashed onto it. Why did this have to be so painful? Being stabbed with a sword was nothing compared to this agony. Once that was done and the tail had been dried off, Rin made a mental note: always keep your tail above the ground when you're outside the dorm.

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 **Thank you for reading this far, and for both liking, following and reviewing!**


	13. Anxious

**I've been gone for quite a while, haven't I? Sorry about that. I've been busy trying not to get behind in school while also juggling some other stuff. Sadly, I ended up quitting my education yesterday, as it was too advanced for me, and I had no chance of finishing it. I failed an important test as well. This is where this angsty idea came from.**

 **I do not own Ao No Exorcist/Blue Exorcist.**

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He had always hated tests. What good did they do, Aside from showing people their true selves? Nothing! It was nothing but a stress factor in an already hectic life. And this time, his life depended on it.

The older Okumura had gotten private lessons from his younger brother, heck, even extra lessons given by Suguro, yet it had done nothing but confuse him more. He wasn't good at studying, and theory made no sense to him. The only thing that made him learn, was doing, being practical and on the move, to use the body he had been given. What was in front of him was far from physical.

He knew he had to get himself together, he had to understand, he had to catch whatever the others had caught that made them wiser far beyond his level of knowledge, but whenever someone tried to explain, he just dozed off halfway through. Their words were nothing but white noise, and the sentences a cacophony that made his ears ring and head hurt. He learned nothing, understood nothing and hated himself for it.

Could it be possible that Yukio was right? Was he just being lazy? Blaming it all on stress and self-doubt, when he in fact just tried to avoid being responsible and mature? Or maybe it was a great mixture of it all, coming together in one big melting pot of emotions that took up all the energy that he used to have plenty of.

Rin also never got sick before, and he usually didn't have nightmares. If he did, he would fend off the demons in his head by telling himself that they weren't real, but now that he knew they were actual living creatures, he couldn't go with telling himself lies anymore. Was stress really the cause of all this? He knew what it could do to people, especially to his younger brother, who had a bad habit of neglecting himself to the point where he would become feverish, and yet, he never realized just how hard it was to take proper care of yourself, when a million things were happening around you at once. There was no time for breaks and the usual eleven hours of sleep had turned into six, seven if he was lucky, which was far from ideal.

So, by the time the test arrived at his desk, Rin started to panic as he stared at the backside of the paper. His hands were clammy, and he could barely hold onto the pen he had been given earlier. He had forgotten his own in his attempt to get to class on time and had been lucky to make it within the time threshold.

The clock struck eight, it was time to turn the papers and see what was hidden on the other

Side.

What was sleep? Did he sleep at all? Barely even ate breakfast, too worried and stressed about the test to even try to keep food down. So many thoughts clouded his mind, his stomach ached, and his head pounded, and all he could decipher from the latin on the paper was his own death sentence written in fancy letters of confusion and despair. He was screwed and he knew it. His whole life depended on tests like these, that much he knew, and he felt beyond stupid and useless upon looking at the paper of truth. The truth was that he was nothing but a slacker. He wasn't working hard enough for this, he didn't stay up every other night to prepare himself, he didn't try and memories viral sentences despite getting hints about the importance of knowing them by heart, and he didn't look up words that he didn't understand. All the raven-haired boy did was try to survive. Try not to fall too far behind the others as he grasps at straws that aren't there, try to reach dry land while the water kept rising. Already left behind, unintentionally.

Rin felt like puking. It had been half an hour already, and all he had managed to do was translating the paper. He still had to actually answer the questions and explain it in great detail. He had one and a half hour left to do so and that was far from enough to finish it. He was shaking, heart pounding so hard that it felt like it was going to burst, the writing barely readable and his right leg bounced up and down on repeat, most likely annoying the ones around him. He couldn't do this; the words made no sense and the sentences were far too short.

He dropped the pen on the floor when there were twenty minutes left, stopping its journey when it reached the table in front of him where Shiemi was sitting. Ruiji and Izumo had left the room half an hour ago, already done with the death test. That's what it felt like anyway. He glared at the pen as if he could mentally call for it to come back.

The stressed teen sighed and let his head hit the table with a loud, agonizing thud. He was missing the last question, something about demonic possessions in the medieval age...

He was close to giving up, to just saying 'screw it' and walking off, maybe hide away somewhere far from True Cross when something was placed on his table. Looking up, he found his pen laying in front of him, Yukio heading off in another direction.

Yukio wanted his older brother to pass this test. He couldn't give up knowing that. His pride wouldn't let a piece of paper be his downfall.


End file.
